by Real Business - Friday, 31st August 2007 -

Karren Brady, CEO of Birmingham City FC, praises T-Mobile's technology

As CEO of Birmingham City Football Club, non-executive director of Channel 4 television, chairman of Kerrang digital radio, non-executive director of Mothercare, and a mother of two, Karren Brady has to juggle more responsibilities than most.

Since becoming the first women to hold a high level position in the top flight of English football, Karren has not looked back, constantly looking for the next challenge on the horizon.

Karren, 38, began her career at Saatchi & Saatchi when she was 18, moving on to LBC Radio and Sports Newspapers in the years to follow. In 1992 she was appointed at Birmingham FC at the age of 23 and went on to become the youngest managing director of a UK plc following the club’s flotation in 1997.

In 15 years she has turned the club around – taking "the Blues" from administration in 1993 to promotion to the Premier League at the end of last season and increasing the gate of the club from 6,000 to 30,000 in the same time frame.

Beyond her many business positions, Karren finds the time to feature regularly on TV, radio and in print, and has published four books, detailing both her football and business experiences throughout her career.

As managing director of a newly promoted football club, Karren has found this summer busier than most, spending an increasing amount of time out of the office – be it travelling overseas to hold talks with the latest transfer targets, arranging sponsorship deals, or meeting players to tie down contracts before the 2007/08 season kicks off.

As a result, she is reliant on mobile technology to keep her in touch with people internally, as well as keeping up to date with all the goings on in and around the football club.

Prior to using the MDA Vario II, Karren used a combination of a BlackBerry and a standard Nokia mobile phone to keep in touch, making calls on one and emailing from the other. Knowing both of these devices inside and out, she was sceptical at first, but was surprised at how quickly she warmed to the Windows Mobile converged device.

“I like the BlackBerry, and have had one since they first launched. But the beauty of the T-Mobile Vario II is that I have all the services I need from the office in one single device, which I can use anywhere and everywhere on the move.

"Rather than using one device for calling, another for emailing, and another to check the internet, I now don’t have to worry about carrying numerous pieces of kit. This saves a lot of hassle and allows me to focus on the various jobs in hand!”

Unlike many mobile users, Karren does not use text messages in her business or social life, with the vast majority of her communications taking place either by phone or over email. It is this crucial functionality that has come to play a huge part in the decisions she makes around her mobile device of choice.

“I’m not a texter and rarely use it at all. I rely on emails to communicate, so one feature I have come to depend on is a full QWERTY keyboard. It just isn’t practical for me to spend time writing a long document out on a phone-style keyboard. My last BlackBerry – the Pearl – had to be sent back simply because they had changed the style of the keyboard.

"In comparison, I’ve found the Vario II much more suitable. Its large screen and keyboard make it a perfect mobile office device and one that isn’t too big to fit in your handbag.”

Like many mobile users, Karren’s early experiences with WAP and the early mobile internet all but completely put her off going online through a mobile device. While she regularly checks the latest goings-on across the football leagues when in the office, until recently she had been unable to do this on the move.

“I rarely use the WAP internet access on my mobile phone as I’m always put off by the slow connection speeds and poor screen presentation. This device has really turned me around – the ability to monitor share prices, check Google alerts, or keep up to date with the latest news without having to be at a computer means that I can utilise deadtime like I never could before.”

With a total of 145 people working in and around the ground, the day-to-day organisation of the football club is far from easy. As the head of a business, Karren is keen to promote a flexible working approach within the club – most of these employees use a mobile email device of some kind and have the option to work flexibly.

Karren suggested that the next step in this evolution to true mobile working may be to start kitting out her own staff with an all-in-one Windows Mobile device.

“I have been really impressed and, as a result, would be very keen to see more employees at Birmingham FC making a similar move. Considering it is just one slight change, it has made a great impact on my own productivity and efficiency, and I would happily pass these benefits on to the rest of our staff.”

With email being the main source of communication for Karren’s many business roles, it was the functionality in this area that stood out amongst the Vario II’s plethora of features.

“The functionality and presentation of the email is better than anything I have used on any other device. The synchronisation with your PC alongside the Windows Mobile Outlook ensures that your email folders mirror those on your laptop.

"It makes it easier to read and organise emails, and it has allowed me to respond to both colleagues and business enquiries to a greater extent than ever before.”

Karren concludes: “If you head up a business, you need access to the internet on the move. You need to be in touch with colleagues and business associates 24/7 and you need an electronic diary to ensure that you are as organised as you can be.

"For these needs, the T-Mobile MDA Vario II is the perfect device and can do everything you ask of it. Perhaps the only challenge is to take the time to go through the many features on the device and ensure you are using it to its full potential.”